SUNRISE, Fla. – Despite missing several key players, the Florida Panthers will continue to press forward when they battle the Minnesota Wild at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.
Sitting at 35-32-3, the Panthers are currently missing nine players due to injuries.
That long list includes Aleksander Barkov, Niko Mikkola, Uvis Balinskis, Cole Schwindt, Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, Sam Reinahrt, Jonah Gadjovich and Mackie Samoskevich.
But even with all that adversity, the defending champs aren’t going to make excuses.
“We’re a mature team,” defenseman Seth Jones said of the mindset for the home stretch. “We understand the position we’re in. We want to try and keep good habits throughout the rest of the season, especially in front of our fans. These home games are important.”
Even after letting a 4-1 lead slip away late in the third period, the Panthers managed to gather themselves and secure a 5-4 shootout win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.
Recalled from the AHL earlier in the day, Noah Gregor recorded a goal and an assist, while Vinnie Hinostroza dished out an assist and scored the lone goal in the shootout. Also making the most out of his call-up, Nolan Foote, playing in his third game with Florida, lit the lamp.
For the rest of the season, the Panthers will continue to count on these new players stepping up.
“Obviously great players, and it was a lot of fun to watch [last game],” forward Jesper Boqvist said. “[Being ready] is part of being a professional, and they did a great job of that.”
Owning a 9-12-2 record with a .896 save percentage, Daniil Tarasov will start for Florida.
In terms of healthy players that will be taking the ice against Seattle, Sam Bennett is the highest-scorer of the group and ranks third overall on the Panthers. Building on a steady and strong season, he’s already achieved new career-high marks in assists (28) and points (53).
Sitting third in the Central Division with a record of 40-20-12, the Wild enters tonight’s tilt looking to bounce back from a 6-3 loss at Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Leading 3-1 in the second period, Minnesota surrendered five straight goals to the Lightning from that point onward.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 80 points (38G, 42A), while Matt Boldy, who’s been having a breakout season, ranks second with 76 points (38G, 38A). In nine career games against the Panthers, Kaprizov has recorded 17 points, including scoring six goals.
For the Panthers, trying to contain Kaprizov will be paramount.
“It’s his unpredictability,” Jones said. “He’s a very shifty player; very agile. His vision is one of the best in the league, probably up there with (Nikita) Kucherov as one of the best passers in the league. He just makes everyone him better, and that’s a tough thing [to defend].”
On the blue line, Quinn Hughes has logged 47 points (4G, 43A) in 40 games since being acquired by the Wild from the Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade in December.
An elite passer and playmaker, Hughes ranks first among NHL defensemen with 64 assists.
“You’ve got to limit his time and space,” forward Luke Kunin said. “He’s a tricky one.”
The lead dog for the Wild in net, Filip Gustavsson has gone 26-12-6 with a 2.51 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and four shutouts. Backing him up, Jesper Wallstedt has gone 14-8-6 with a 2.75 goal-against average, .913 save percentage and four shutouts.
Last meeting on Jan. 24 in Minnesota, the Panthers pulled out a 4-3 win thanks to a goal from Marchand in overtime. In addition to Marchand scoring twice, Reinhart and Bennett also scored in the win, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 18 saves between the pipes.
Of the 18 skaters that suited up for Florida in that win, 10 won’t take the ice tonight.
THEY SAID IT
“We’re going to play hard in here. Whoever’s here, whoever’s in the lineup that night, it’s that next-man-up mentality.” – Seth Jones
“They’re a really good team coming here. We’ve got. To play at our best. They’ve very talented and very good offensively.” – Jesper Boqvist
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have won each of their last three games at home.
- Vinnie Hinostroza has earned at least one point in three of his last six games.
- Carter Verhaeghe has notched a team-high 41 points at even strength.
- Seth Jones is averaging a team-high 23:27 of ice time per game.
- Evan Rodrigues has scored seven of his 11 goals at home this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist
Cole Reinhardt – Tomas Nosek – Vinnie Hinostroza
Nolan Foote – Luke Kunin – Noah Gregor
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Dmitry Kulikov – Seth Jones
Donovan Sebrango – Mike Benning
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- March 24: F Noah Gregor recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- March 15: F Nolan Foote recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- March 12: D Mike Benning recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: ESPN
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH-FM (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR-FM (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 221/App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click here
